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Think big and then think even bigger

Nic Fildes

December 30 2014, 9:05pm, The Times

Gavin Patterson, the chief executive of BT, is not one to settle for second bestSimon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty Images

BT’s £12.5 billion putative offer for EE has all the hallmarks of Gavin Patterson. Most expected the telecoms group to settle for a more modest target as it aimed to return to the mobile arena — O2 was considered not only a cheaper but a more sensible option, given that it would not rattle the cages of any regulators — but the chief executive of BT Group is not one to settle for second best.

He has plumped for what BT considers Britain’s biggest and best network and the move on EE has astounded some industry experts and onlookers. “Gutsy” and “ballsy” are two of the adjectives used to describe the strategy, particularly on the eve of another Premier League auction and with a pension…